Gagen Blog

As anyone from soybean farmers to Facebook and Qualcomm executives can attest, in 12 months, business circumstances can change in radical ways. As we close out this volatile year and head into 2019, there is no doubt that disruptive forces will only gain steam. Looking ahead to the new year, three trends are going to require increased corporate leadership attention.

Gagen MacDonald had the privilege of sponsoring The Conference Board’s change communications seminar on December 11-12 in New York City. In our pre-seminar survey, just 39 percent of attendees said their organizations are effective at inspiring employees in our era of ongoing transformation. These executives came eager to learn how to energize a diverse workforce…

Leaders promoting change in their organizations often encounter roadblocks and employee resistance. Gagen MacDonald’s proprietary research provides the most recent and pointed confirmation of a trend many leaders understand intuitively: change fatigue is real and pervasive.

The IT world is still thrumming with excitement over the latest disruptive technologies explored at this year’s Gartner Symposium / ITxpo. From artificial intelligence, to blockchain, quantum computing, digital twins and continuous adaptive security, the possibilities are thrilling. Underneath this excitement, however, hummed a different feeling entirely. As drivers of digital transformation, CIOs in the audience know that these breakthrough innovations all require change.

Think back a decade. Think back to the world of travel before Airbnb, transportation before Uber, office space before WeWork, entertainment before Netflix streaming, communication before the iPhone, and Amazon before Kindle, Instant Video, Echo, Zappos, Whole Foods, S3, Fire, and Alexa. Think about what the last decade has proven possible – and the industries that have been revolutionized – and then imagine what’s to come in the years ahead.

It’s no secret that today’s leading businesses are turning to purpose to articulate their mission, power growth, unite and motivate the organization, and become future-ready in a world of non-stop change. Study after study confirms purpose’s impact on the bottom line. Companies can and should use purpose intentionally to figure out how to run their businesses.

Leading through disruption requires a special kind of leader. Today’s leaders must not only be proficient in change management, but also conscious of their own cognitive biases so they can interpret data and the mood of their team accurately. Leaders can become their own worst enemy when working with or leading a team. In approaching…

PR News has named Gagen MacDonald consultant Amy Dietz a Rising PR Star in the 2018 PR News’ PR People Awards. The annual event celebrates budding PR leaders who, day in and day out, make communications matter in the marketplace.

No matter the nature of a company today, the unprecedented rate of external and internal disruptors is clear. With these constantly increasing and varied forces, organizations are required to transform more frequently than ever before to stay both competitive and profitable, while also attracting the best talent. So, can a company effectively transform a culture amidst disruption? What does that look like?

In an effort to help clients prepare for and seize opportunities created by massive global disruption, four major consultancies have announced a transformative joint offering born of a research-driven point of view that curious companies are more agile, and therefore better positioned for success. The integrated partnership includes APCO Worldwide, Gagen MacDonald, Oxford Analytica and the Boswell Group.